


In Sickness And Health

by GEGabriels



Series: G.E.Gabriels' Les Mis Sickfics [9]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Combeferre Is Everyone's Savior, Fever, Fluff, Good Friend Combeferre, I cannot stress this enough, Influenza, M/M, Sick Enjolras, Sick Grantaire, Sickfic, So Is Joly, Vaccinate, Vomiting, idek anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26694727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GEGabriels/pseuds/GEGabriels
Summary: "Fuck," Grantaire muttered after a minute, as the number 101.2 flashed in front of him. Enjolras leaned over Grantaire's shoulder, kissing Grantaire's cheek,"You're not heading down to the studio today, honey," He murmured, Grantaire bristling,"No, I have to!" He protested, "I still need to finish half of one large painting, and it's due next Sunday!" Grantaire exclaimed, Enjolras shaking his head.In which Grantaire and Enjolras are both sick, and the rest of the Les Amis are good friends.
Relationships: Combeferre & Enjolras (Les Misérables), Combeferre & Grantaire (Les Misérables), Courfeyrac & Enjolras (Les Misérables), Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables)
Series: G.E.Gabriels' Les Mis Sickfics [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896514
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	In Sickness And Health

Grantaire hadn't touched alcohol in six months. Which was why he found it quite odd to wake up feeling like he was hungover. He had slowly opened his eyes, and instantly found he had a throbbing headache. He had no memory of drinking anything of alcoholic substance the night before, though perhaps he had been so drunk he had forgotten the event. Yeah, that sounded right. Grantaire's heart sank. He had been doing so well with his drinking… He did notice, though, that his stomach wasn't flipping as it usually did when he was hungover. No, he wasn't nauseous. Maybe had simply been lucky this time around?

It was when he took a deep breath, that he realized what was wrong. He could barely breathe through his nose, as it was stuffed up to an insane level, and there was a small tickle in his throat. Shoot. He was sick. It was probably just a cold… Nothing to worry about, Grantaire reassured himself, as he sat up in bed. The space in bed next to him was empty, meaning that Enjolras had already woken up. Grantaire glanced at the time, groaning. 6:50. Grantaire wasn't usually up until eleven. No wonder he felt as exhausted as he did, despite having got a decent night's sleep. Grantaire slipped out of bed, putting on pants, because he was only in green underwear. Despite Enjolras having seen Grantaire in less clothing than pants many times, pants were still a requirement for leaving the bedroom, he and Enjolras had agreed upon. Grantaire, still shirtless, walked out of the bedroom, entering the kitchen of his and Enjolras' apartment.

"Hey, R," Enjolras greeted, sitting at the counter with a mug of coffee, unsurprisingly, beside him, while he scrolled through his phone. Grantaire simply gave Enjolras a nod, not wanting to test the state of his voice. Enjolras focused on his phone for another minute or two, while Grantaire poked around in the cabinets, before Enjolras turned his gaze to Grantaire.

"I moved the cereal to the cabinet on the right, one away from the last," Enjolras informed, Grantaire giving Enjolras a grateful look, and opening said cabinet, taking a box of cheerios down. Grantaire shook some of the cheerios into a bowl, before pouring milk into the bowl, sniffling roughly every time he forgot that he had to breath through his mouth, and attempted to breath through his nose.

"You coming down with a cold?" Enjolras asked, Grantaire shrugging, and Enjolras giving him an empathetic look. Most people didn't credit Enjolras for his empathy, and Grantaire could hardly blame them, as Enjolras intensity, and passion were his most obvious traits. But Enjolras was a very empathetic person. Empathy fueled his every decision. He didn't just see others pain, he genuinely felt it. This was slightly problematic, at times, as Grantaire had to be very careful with his choice of movie or show if Enjolras was watching with him, or risk full-blown rants, or, in the worst scenarios, tears. Grantaire also sometimes wondered if Enjolras basically starved himself because he was forgetful, or if he was literally trying to make a point on poverty. Food for thought.

"I moved everything in the medicine cabinet to the cabinet with the pink stickers on it, by the way, Decongestant should be there," Enjolras commented, Grantaire frowning.

"Mind telling me why you were playing musical cabinets?" Grantaire enquired, wincing at the hoarseness in his voice. Enjolras frowned as well, giving him a quick answer,

"I was bored," Enjolras replied. Grantaire raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more. Normal people, when they were bored, would eat something, or watch Netflix, or something like that. Enjolras was not a normal person. Grantaire blamed Combeferre for the habit more than anything, as Combeferre was the exact same way. When Combeferre was bored, he would reorganize entire rooms. It had probably rubbed off on Enjolras, at some point. Though having Enjolras reorganize stuff was more preferable then having Enjolras go out to debate strangers in the street, as he would also try to do when bored. Grantaire shuffled through the medicine cabinet, taking the thermometer out. He felt a bit shivery, and knew it was best to check. Enjolras eyed him intently, as Grantaire replaced the seal on the thermometer,

"Fuck," Grantaire muttered after a minute, as the number _101.2_ flashed in front of him. Enjolras leaned over Grantaire's shoulder, kissing Grantaire's cheek,

"You're not heading down to the studio today, honey," He murmured, Grantaire bristling,

"No, I have to!" He protested, "I still need to finish half of one large painting, and it's due next Sunday!" Grantaire exclaimed, Enjolras shaking his head,

"Uh-uh, you're sick," He said, "I'll stay home with you, help you," Enjolras added. Grantaire tensed,

"What? No! Enjolras, you've got your job, and the meeting tonight!" Grantaire argued, Enjolras shaking his head once more,

"You come before all of that," Enjolras replied. Hearing Enjolras say that made Grantaire's heart flip. Sometimes, it seemed like Enjolras had no time for him, but he knew Enjolras was doing his best.

" _H'taschu!"_ Grantaire sneezed violently into his elbow, blushing. Over the one year they'd been dating, and six months they'd been living together, never once had one been sick in the other's presence. Grantaire was rather self-conscious of his sneezes. They were loud, and powerful, and also rather embarrassing, to Grantaire. Enjolras didn't seem to mind though, only pushing a box of tissues toward Grantaire in response. Grantaire gave Enjolras a grateful nod, blowing his nose loudly, before pushing the tissue box back towards Enjolras. Enjolras pushed it back to Grantaire,

"You sound like you're going to need them," Enjolras objected, Grantaire sighing, the tickle in his throat emerging to a cough. Enjolras gave Grantaire a worried look, nervously bouncing his leg,

"You want me to call Ferre, or Joly?" Enjolras asked, Grantaire laughing,

"No, Enjolras, it's just a normal mild fever, I'll be fine. Gosh, you're such a worrier. Hah, imagine if people knew that about the mighty Apollo?" Grantaire joked, letting out a laugh, and a few coughs, the tickle in his throat once again becoming unbearable. Enjolras rubbed Grantaire's back gently, in a way that shocked Grantaire, even after an entire year of dating the blonde man. Grantaire yawned, feeling quite tired, as Enjolras led him to the couch, leaving, and then returning two minutes later, with a few blankets, which he draped over Grantaire, who was shivering slightly. Grantaire smiled, as Enjolras crawled up next to him on the couch, leaning into his side.

"I called out of work," Enjolras murmured, Grantaire learning his head on Enjolras shoulder,

"You didn't have to stay with me, you know, and I could have gone down to the studio, and just pushed through this!" Grantaire insisted, Enjolras shaking his head,

"It's fine, Grantaire, and what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I let my sick boyfriend go to work, hm?" Grantaire had simply chuckled,

"I love you, you know that?" He asked, Enjolras smiling at him,

"I love you too," He murmured, the room falling silent, other then Grantaire's frequent sniffling. Grantaire managed to fall asleep, his head still slumped on Enjolras shoulder, his mouth open, while he congestedly snored. Grantaire was at peace. Grantaire woke up to a fit of hoarse coughing, and a twinge in his stomach. He felt a million times worse than he had when he had gone to sleep. For one, the twinge in his stomach was entirely new, and very uncomfortable. His head was spinning, and aching fiercely at the same time. He was exhausted, despite having just woken up.

" _Enjolras_?" He croaked, Enjolras, who was at the kitchen table, writing something Grantaire couldn't see, making his way over to the couch.

"What's wrong?" Enjolras enquired, Grantaire shivering.

"I… Don't really feel well," Grantaire murmured, Enjolras placing the back of his hand on Grantaire's forehead. Enjolras frowned,

"You're burning up," He whispered, Grantaire simply sighing in response, resigned to his fate, as Enjolras quickly grabbed the thermometer, replacing its seal, and sticking it into Grantaire's mouth. Enjolras took the thermometer out, after a little while, handing the thermometer to Grantaire, walking into the kitchen to get his phone. Grantaire looked down at the reading and sighed. _102.9._ Great. It was around midday, Grantaire assumed, judging by the way the sun currently was in the sky, which he could see through the large living room windows. Enjolras began to talk to someone on the phone, whom Grantaire guessed was either Combeferre or Joly. He could hear snippets of the conversation.

" _Yes… 102.9…"_

" _Okay."_

" _Mhm…"_

" _Alright, thank you. Bye Ferre, love you."_

Oh, so it was Combeferre. Enjolras walked over to Grantaire, putting his small right hand on Grantaire's shoulder,

"Does your stomach hurt?" Enjolras asked, Grantaire wincing at the pain his stomach, head, and throat combined were causing him. Grantaire gave a short nod, Enjolras pulling him to his feet,

"Okay, grab your jacket, and a shirt," Enjolras ordered.

"Why?" Grantaire enquired, Enjolras taking his own red jacket from where it was hung neatly on the coat rack, and Grantaire retrieving his green jacket from under the couch, and his shirt from the bedroom.

"Flu test," Enjolras responded, "I told you to get the vaccination, but _no_ …" He muttered, Grantaire rolling his eyes,

"I forgot, Ang," He said, Enjolras simply kissing Grantaire's forehead. Grantaire had to endure an entire car ride of Enjolras lecturing him on how healthcare was a human right. Yipee. Grantaire did like listening to Enjolras' voice, though. The passion in it was soothing, in its own weird way.

They returned home with a positive flu test, a tired Grantaire, and ranting Enjolras. What Enjolras was ranting about, Grantaire wasn't actually sure, as he was pretty much out of it. He was barely aware of what was going on, after they entered their apartment. All he knew, whas that he was in bed, and that there was a hand combing through his black curls, Enjolras' hand. And he fell asleep.

Grantaire awoke to his stomach hurting an unbearable amount, and he quickly slipped out of bed, Enjolras, who was laying in bed next to him, thankfully sound asleep. Grantaire made his way to the bathroom, opening the lid to the toilet just in time, to vomit whatever he'd last eaten up. Orange liquid stained his mouth, and his face, and there were a few drops of saliva, or vomit, Grantaire wasn't sure, on his shirt. He coughed roughly into his hand. He didn't cry, though. He was quite used to throwing up. One good thing that had come out of his alcohol addiction. Grantaire also wasn't one to cry about anything, really. He'd just accept that he couldn't control things, and move on. Which was why Enjolras had despised him, when they first met. Because Enjolras was the exact opposite. He had to do something. Had to right every wrong, bring justice to every injustice.

"Grantaire? Baby?" Enjolras walked into the bathroom, half-asleep. Enjolras rarely called Grantaire "baby," or even something as simple as "Honey," unless he was worried. Enjolras saw the vomit in the toilet, and walked over, rubbing Grantaire's back, as Grantaire retched up the remaining contents of his stomach.

"Thank you," Grantaire murmured, laying his back against the bathroom wall, as Enjolras gently ran his fingers through Grantaire's hair, gentle in a way Grantaire never thought Enjolras could be.

"You still feel like you're going to throw up?" Enjolras asked, Grantaire shrugging. Enjolras nodded, taking the trash can from the bathroom, and leaving to dump it out in the kitchen, before returning, and handing it to Grantaire. He led Grantaire back into the bedroom, Grantaire placing the trash bin at the foot of the bed. Enjolras got back into bed with Grantaire. It was around 8:00, but Enjolras was refusing to leave Grantaire's side, it seemed. Enjolras snuggled into Grantaire, Grantaire sneezing a few times into the crook of his elbow, before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

Grantaire awoke again, this time to a harsh fit of coughing, that seemed to set his throat on fire, There was also a familiar ache in his stomach, though, and he looked desperately around the room for the trash bin, remembering that it was at the foot of the bed. By then, it was too late, though, and Grantaire made a gagging noise, throwing up entirely over himself, and Enjolras, who instantly woke up, at that. Grantaire felt like crying there, but didn't, knowing that it was only the fever that was making him emotional.

"Okay," Enjolras simply said, getting out of bed, and taking off his shirt and pants, before walking over to Grantaire, and taking off his shirt as well. He walked out of the room, to throw the dirty clothes into the washing machine, before stripping the bed of its blankets, throwing them in as well, and taking out extra blankets from the closet.

"M'sorry," Grantaire whispered, his voice wrecked from the near-constant coughing fits he was experiencing. Enjolras simply smiled, grabbing the thermometer from the kitchen, and taking Grantaire's temperature.

" _103_.." Enjolras murmured, rubbing Grantaire's cheek with his hand, "Go back to sleep." He encouraged, Grantaire closing his eyes, and quickly falling back asleep. He awoke feeling slightly better, and being rather confused at what the time was. It seemed to be early morning, as the sky was still quite dark, but the sun was beginning to rise, and Enjolras was still curled up around himself beside Grantaire, wrapped in his blanket that resembled the French flag, that Grantaire thankfully hadn't vomited on. Enjolras adored that blanket. The ache in Grantaire's stomach seemed to have subsided, though he was still harshly coughing. The stuffy nose had turned into a runny one, which Grantaire tried to stem with his shirt sleeve. His head also felt like it was full of cotton. Yay. Grantaire stared at the ceiling for about fifteen more minutes, before Enjolras stirred beside him.

Enjolras went about his normal routine of getting ready for the day, Grantaire simply flopping down on the couch, and not moving, except to accept two or three sips of water from a cup Enjolras offered him. Enjolras kissed Grantaire's cheek, as the doorbell rang, and Combeferre walked in.

"Why do you bother ringing the doorbell if you have the key?" Enjolras asked his friend in an exasperated tone, Combeferre simply smiling, and patting Enjolras' shoulder,

"Courfeyrac told me about the time he walked in on you two. I prefer to give a warning to my presence," Combeferre replied smartly, Enjolras huffing, but giving Combeferre an amused look, nonetheless, as he fastened the clasps on his long jacket.

"R, Combeferre's going to look after you while I'm at work," Enjolras stated, Grantaire laughing, though instantly regretting that, due to the pain that shot through his head afterward.

"I don't need looking after, Enj, I'm a grown man," Grantaire insisted, Enjolras shaking his head, and kissing Grantaire cheek,

"I've got to go," Enjolras hurriedly said, walking out of the door quickly.

"One minute there, then he was gone," Grantaire joked, Combeferre, who had remained inside Grantaire and Enjolras' apartment, giving a small amused smile.

"Yes, Enjolras is very fast-paced," He said, taking off his gloves, and placing the back of his hand on Grantaire's forehead, frowning,

"Do you know what your temperature was, the last time it was checked?" Combeferre asked, Grantaire shrugging. Combeferre took the thermometer from the kitchen, knowing his way around the house quite well, as he was there at least twice a week, if not more.

" _102.4,_ " Combeferre read, giving a small nod, "Not dangerous, but I'd still prefer it to come down," He said. Grantaire just leaned his head back against the couch, entirely burned out from his body fighting off the flu.

Combeferre was a good, patient caretaker, and was also very experienced. The real secret to his success as a doctor, he'd once said, was, "Joly, Bossuet, and Enjolras," because they'd given him, "Lots of different opportunities to study injuries and illnesses." Enjolras had a crappy immune system, though that was partially his fault, from neglecting himself. Joly was always afraid of getting sick, and seemed to catch colds a lot, and Bossuet… One didn't even need to go into what he did… How one even got a broken arm from a piece of thread was beyond Grantaire. Grantaire's temperature was eventually brought down to 101.7, much to Grantaire's delight. He was laying on the sofa, watching some sort of shitty documentary on TV, while Combeferre read a book, when Enjolras entered, immediately going off into a rant about supposed injustices some level of court had carried out. Combeferre, who had dealt with a lifetime of this sort of stuff, simply walked over to Enjolras, putting a hand on his friends side, Enjolras scowling, as he was pulled in for a side-hug, but relaxing his rigid posture, nonetheless, though the ranting still did continue.

"Enjolras," Combeferre suddenly said, kissing the top of the younger man's head, before pulling a thermometer out of nowhere, "Open up." Enjolras' eyes widened,

"I'm fine, Ferre!" He exclaimed, his protests leading to the perfect opportunity for Combeferre to slip the thermometer into Enjolras' mouth,

"I'm just checking, Enjolras. You catch almost anything you come in contact with. And you've been in close contact with Grantaire this entire time," Combeferre reasoned, before taking the thermometer out of Enjolras, who had crossed his arms, mouth, and squinting at it,

"99.4," He read, raising an eyebrow in Enjolras direction. Enjolras opened his mouth to reply, his body, for once trying to do his health, and Combeferre's sanity, a favor, picking that exact time for Enjolras to sneeze into the crook of his elbow.

"C'mon, get on the couch with Grantaire," Combeferre urged. Enjolras shook his head furiously,

"That's not even a fever, Combeferre!" He protested, Combeferre crossing his arms,

"No, but it's an elevated temperature. And you and I both know it _will_ spike," He pointed out, pushing Enjolras down on the couch next to Grantaire. Enjolras scowled, but didn't say anything more, knowing that this was a fight he was bound to lose. Combeferre left the room, for a minute, to talk with someone on the phone, most likely Courfeyrac. Grantaire, shivering violently, pressed up against Enjolras, who was staring at the wall.

"M'sorry for getting you sick," Grantaire murmured. Enjolras kissed Grantaire's cheek, taking his hands in his own.

"I'm not sick, but if I was, I would tell you that it's fine, and not your fault," Enjolras responded, leaning his head against Grantaire's shoulder. Grantaire quickly fell asleep once more, exhausted from having been awake a good portion of the day.a

* * *

Grantaire awoke to someone hovering around him, and he blinked, his eyelids heavy.

"Oh, Grantaire, you're awake, good," Joly said, and Grantaire didn't even have time to react before a thermometer was shoved in his mouth.

"Hm, It's climbing down," Joly said, sounding relieved.

"Why are you here?" Grantaire asked, Joly wincing, as Grantaire broke off into a coughing fit.

"Combeferre was called into work last minute, so he told me to come here, I was the only one off today," Joly explained, Grantaire frowning,

"You don't have to waste your day off on-" He started, Joly rolling his eyes,

"Shut up," Joly replied good-naturedly. Grantaire smiled. He and Joly had always been close friends, same thing with Bossuet, Bahorel, and Eponine. Courfeyrac seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with Grantaire's constant negativity, and usually kept his distance, unless they were drunk, or Courfeyrac was at the apartment. Combeferre had been cool and distant with Grantaire at first, but Grantaire had found their relationship to be warming up, especially after Grantaire started dating Combeferre's best friend.

"Where's Enjolras?" Grantaire suddenly asked, seeing that his boyfriend wasn't next to him on the couch. Joly motioned towards the bedroom,

"In bed," He replied, Grantaire giving him a skeptical look, before pushing himself to his feet, ignoring Joly's protests, and making his way to the bedroom. Sure enough, there was Enjolras. Not in bed. He was sitting at his desk, typing away on a computer. Joly walked into the room, huffing and crossing his arms when he saw Enjolras,

"Honestly!" Joly exclaimed, "You're going to work yourself into an early grave!" Enjolras turned his head around to face Grantaire. His eyes and nose were red and swollen, and Grantaire could hear the rasp in his breathing from where he was standing. Enjolras coughed into the crook of his arm, a few times, before clearing his throat, and responding in a croaky voice,

" _M'fine_." That was the last straw for Joly,

"You're not _fine_! What you _are_ is an idiot!" Joly lectured, Grantaire sneezing twice, before saying his part,

"C'mon, Angel, come to bed with me," Grantaire urged, crawling into bed, and holding out Enjolras' French flag blanket. Enjolras gave in at that, shakily getting into bed next to Grantaire, and taking his blanket, the two men clutching onto each other. Joly made a gagging noise, despite the fact that he constantly openly displayed affection with Bossuet and Musichetta. And that was how Enjolras and Grantaire spent the rest of the day, miserable and sniffly in one another's arms. Combeferre eventually returned to them, giving both of them a sympathetic look, and stroking his hand across Enjolras pale face. openly

Grantaire took a quick shower, after eating a few crackers, since he had been feeling very sweaty and sticky, and he returned to the bedroom after that, slipping back in next to Enjolras once more.

A certain routine carried out for the next week or so. Combeferre or Joly, or one time Jehan, would watch over Grantaire and Enjolras when they could, Grantaire and Enjolras helping each other when their friends couldn't look after them. Eventually Grantaire's fever broke, though he was still confined to the house for another day, before Combeferre and Joly finally deemed him in an, and Grantaire quotes, "Acceptable enough condition to go back out into society." Enjolras was still running a slight fever at that time, and wasn't allowed out of the house. Grantaire of course, wouldn't leave Enjolras' side. Both of them were anxious to see the rest of their friends again, though.

The day was Saturday, and Enjolras was curled up at Grantaire's side on the couch, mainly sulking, as Combeferre still wouldn't let him work. When Enjolras was very sick, it had been easy to get him to rest, as he was too out-of-it to protest, but the second Enjolras' started getting better, he was determined to get out of bed, and go straight to work. He had tried to escape multiple times, though each attempt had failed. It was approaching 7:00 pm, and Grantaire and Enjolras were both bored out of their minds. On a normal Saturday night at 7:00 pm, Grantaire would be hanging out at the Musain, talking with friends. Enjolras would usually be planning their next protest with Combeferre, Courfeyrac, and Feuilly (If, Feuilly, the poor man had actually managed to get a Saturday evening off of work). Grantaire knew that he needed to go down to hisstudio that evening, at some point also. His half finished painting was still waiting for him, and he needed to work as fast as he could and finish as much of it as he could, while hoping the customer wouldn't mind that he was going to be extremely late with it.

"Grantaire, somebody's knocking on the door," Enjolras suddenly murmured, Grantaire frowning, and standing up. Why would someone be here right now? They no longer needed Combeferre and Joly constantly, though Combeferre and Joly still did frequently drop by, and everyone would probably be out hanging with friends, or working. Grantaire walked over to the door, opening it to see the entire rest of the Les Amis.

"What-" He began, Courfeyrac quickly jumping to explain,

"We haven't seen you and Enjolras for an entire week," He said. The funny thing about the Les Amis, is that not seeing a member for a week was quite strange, and usually depressing. They were a very tight-knit group, "So we, with Ferre's permission, of course," Courfeyrac grinned at Combeferre, who smiled back at him, "Decided to come here! You two up for a movie night?" The only other time Grantaire could recall smiling that much in his life as he did then, was when Enjolras had confessed his love to Grantaire.

"O-Of course!" Grantaire exclaimed, making his way back to the couch, where Enjolras still sat, looking half-asleep. Grantaire gently shook him, Enjolras frowning,

"What?" He asked, Grantaire motioning towards the rest of the Amis, who had begun to take over the living room that very second. Enjolras blinked for a moment, before smiling as well.

"We have pretty good friends, hm?" Grantaire whispered, Enjolras coughing, before answering, as Courfeyrac began loudly complaining about Grantaire and Enjolras' minimal DVD selection.

"Yeah, we do," Enjolras murmured, Grantaire leaning forward, and kissing Enjolras, ignoring all of the, "Get a room!" Shouts that they were inevitably met with.

In the end, Grantaire didn't actually end up going down to the studio, that night

**Author's Note:**

> Just randomly wrote this. Not particularly happy with it, but why not. Thanks for reading!
> 
> And also, vaccinate yourself against the flu this year. This is especially important, what with Covid-19 and all. Once the Corona vaccinations are safe and out for the public, I bet you to get those as well. One simple vaccination can save someone's life.


End file.
